Thursday, August 26, 2010

While you all were away this summer ( some of you have graduated long before this ), Luke Sullivan, author of our favorite book and your textbook Hey Whipple Squeeze This, wrote a blog about washing a pig. He featured some of our photos from our experiences washing a pig! If you didn't see it, check this out http://blog.ideacity.com/creativity-is-like-washing-a-pig-gsdm#

Sunday, May 2, 2010

For months, the FSU Arrowhead Advertising Team has been building a campaign for the 2010 NSAC client, State Farm Insurance. There's been tears, sweat, relationship break-ups, sleep deprivation and laughs. This has been one of the most stressful and challenging moments of my college career, but it has also been the best. Everyone on the team is so talented and passionate about advertising--they've all inspired me to push the limit and do more than I ever expected of myself. Each and every person on this team has been such a privilege to work with and I will truly miss them.

On Friday, April 30th, Arrowhead drove to Tampa to compete in the annual NSAC competition. University of Miami definitely brought it to the table, making it that much more nerve-wracking. Luckily for FSU, our never-ending nights in the Ad Lab paid off! I am proud to announce that FSU won the following awards:

+ 1st Place at Districts

+ Best Research

+ Best Strategy

+ Best Creative

+ Best Q & A

I'd like to recognize and congratulate all of the Arrowhead members for being such amazing people. We will miss our seniors so much (in bold)! You've meant more to this team then you realize. A special thanks to:

+ Jonny Arcila

+ Emily Asqueri

+ Nicole Brooker

+ Arielle Calderon

+ Courtney Connell

+ Maria Correa

+ Jesse Damiani

+ Danielle Delph

+ Michela Fleury

+ Alysse Goodwiller

+ Courtney Griffin

+ Christina Morgan

+ Gala Pazos

+ Sydney Perlman

+ Alexis Perricone

+ Jordan Rich

I love you all so much and I look forward to hearing about your future successes!

Friday, April 23, 2010

Hi CSI! I hope that you all have taken a few deep breaths, gotten some rest and celebrated after doing an awesome job this semester. We are all so proud of you! I wanted you to know that Lynnette blogged about you - you inspired her ... take a look:

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

This most likely means: "That top isn't flattering — I wish you'd wear something else." "She's softening a negative point with vague phrasing," explains Tannen. But there's something deeper she probably won't own up to: When she homes in on your looks, your mom is also thinking about herself. "She assumes your appearance is a reflection on her," says Tannen, "so she wants to help you become someone she's happy with." Tell her you know she has great advice, but you have to express your own style.

"Are you really that hungry?"

Four words: Put down the doughnut. Okay, this one's pretty obvious. "Unless she harps on your diet, this comment slipped out before she could censor it," explains Tannen. Her maternal instincts kicked in, and she's watching out for you. Let her know that while you know she has your well-being in mind, these statements make you uncomfortable.

"It's nothing. I don't want to bother you."

Your mom craves attention…but doesn't want to ask for it. She's used to being the caretaker, so swapping places can be awkward for her, Tannen explains. To strengthen your bond, focus on her now, and follow up later. "This will show her that she can trust you to pick up on all of her hints," says Tannen.

"Marsha's daughter got into grad school."

"Your mom hopes when you hear of your peers' progress, you'll be inspired," observes Tannen. But she's also in a compare-athon. "She likes to brag too," says Tannen. So give her updates. If her friend's daughter got into grad school, mention your recent kudos at work.

"He's fun, but do you ever see him settling down?"

Your mom thinks your bartender boyfriend is nice but not husband material. "This is awkward," says Tannen. "You're both adults." But still, she can't exactly talk to you like a friend and say "Dump him." Also, "your mom is of a different generation," says Tannen. She assumes that you're hoping he's marriage-worthy. Reassure her that you're having a good time but aren't going to elope with him to Vegas.

So it's 4:25 am and I am still working on this project. It's been a very difficult road, but I have faith that our team will pull through tomorrow. I wish everyone the best of luck and I know you will all have amazing campaigns!

By the way, due to the conflicting schedule of the Creative party, you will not be able to see ad team present. However, if you're interested you may want to consider going Thursday morning or afternoon during one of Solomon's classes (9:30 am or 12:30 pm). He's already done teaching, so you may be able to just sit and watch. If you're interested in Arrowhead, it would be a great thing for you to see our wonderful presenters!

Yet another midnight thirty at the stadium. Tomorrow is the day. I'm excited, nervous, happy, freaked out, sick to my stomach, and anxious. We have spent HOURS in this stadium, spoken to the police twice, and gotten screamed at by some bitter hospitality lady. Though this project has completely consumed my last month in Tallahassee, I have enjoyed every grueling minute. My group has worked as a well oiled machine, each person excelling at their function perfectly. Despite the plethora of personalities (most clashing) we have, we have worked well together, getting everything that needed to be done, done, and still having time for random leather fringed jacket photo shoots. No matter what grade we get, or if we win, we all know that we went above and beyond and created a kick ass campaign. Thank you to all my group members for making CRE8 as amazing as it is.

Right now it is 12:26 on Wed morning...our presentations are in just a few hours and I know everyone has been practicing their little tushes off!! How do I know, because for the past few evenings we have all run into each other on the second floor of UCB--and we all have our own funny stories to share.

Tonight, around 11:15, my group was practicing in the presentation room when we heard a knock on the door. We opened it up and two police men were standing outside. She explained to us that every time we opened and closed a door a silent alarm wen toff alerting the police that their were intruders in the building. We tore down the paper which blocked the glass window, giving a glimpse into our room and begged (but not really) trying to convince these officers that we were simply students trying to get a good grade in our creative strategy class. They asked us what time we were leaving, and we told them another group would be coming in at midnight. The police offer began to laugh. She was on our side after all. She totally understood what was going on but asked us to please leave by 1 am. We apologized for the inconvenience and she made a silly face and told us she totally understood.

I know others of you have had funny encounters while practicing your presentations. (Post your story if it's good enough for the blog!)

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

It is an interesting time, the end of the academic year. One class moves up as one moves on. Life moves on. Many of you guys will be seniors next year. Finals are coming up. It is possibly one of the most stressful times of the year. However, I think that some reflection is appropriate. With the end so close we can see it rapidly approaching, it is important to not only focus on the present, but to take some time to reflect on the past as well.

For me, it's been an interesting semester - year even - to say the least. I had the great opportunity to work with some of you directly, and to the whomever I didn't have the opportunity to personally work with, perhaps our paths may cross sometime in the near future. To Catch Your Limit, your teaching style and enthusiasm take direct responsibility for pushing me into Advertising; you're all doing something right. To all of you who have internships over the summer, I wish you the best of luck as well.

I would hope to keep in touch with everyone. With that, I'll leave you all with one quote; may your adventures lead you far and wide:

...let us step out into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure. - Albus Dumbledore

On April 19th, a man in New Zealand was promoting Splinter Cell Conviction, a new video game. The marketing agency that hired him had him covered in bandages with a fake weapon into a popular area of Auckland. Over two dozen people saw it, thought it was real, and called the cops! The cops then proceeded to draw their REAL guns on the man for the safety of everyone. How dumb could this marketing agency be? When there is so much crime, terrorism, and just bad-natured people in our world, how could the marketing agency think regular people wouldn't take this seriously? If you ever work on a campaign that requires a lot of viral marketing...DON'T DO THIS!!

I was unsure about what to write about for my last blog, until Stumble Upon showed me the way. I could spend a long time just stumbling to different websites (we all could), but what shocked me is that I found the perfect material to blog about on my first click. Anyways, on to the real stuff. This post I stumbled upon is about the 11 craziest Thai television ads. I almost kept clicking until I watched one, and thought it was hilarious. It amazed me how the humor still appealed to me even through cultural differences. Go ahead and take a break from studying or working on our big project and watch a few of these ads. Here is a teaser,

and here is the link to the full post! Take a minute and enjoy some of these funny/outrageous ads!

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Ever since we've come down to crunch time with finals week, I've been having to discover new and creative ways to not lose my mind.

Over the weekend, I spent every night huddled over my computer till the early hours, trying to squeeze in a semester of French into my brain while still leaving room for geology, Hispanic Marketing, Creative Strategy, and Hospitality Management. Finally, I reached my breaking point.

If I didn't take some emergency "me" time, I was going to flip. So, in typical Brock fashion, I broke out my pen, and made a list of things I was going to do before I continued working. I just thought I'd share this list, so all of you hard working creatives can use my secrets of mental relaxation. Take notes.

1) Flea Market

This is my ace in the hole. Tallahassee's flea market is one of the best around, and with about 5$, anyone can find something that awakens your inner child. Don't believe me? Here's just a few of the things me and my friends have bought (for ridiculously cheap) in the last few months when we needed a quick getaway: Crossbow (real, not a toy), incense from Jamaica, old video games, crazy looking knives, air-soft AK47s, and more. Plus, the beer is cheap and the locals are... colorful. Check it out the next time you're feeling stressed.

2)Omegle.com

Pretty much everyone has used one of these websites by now, but it's still one of my favorite places to get rid of writers' block. It's an anonymous chat room, where you can meet a complete stranger from anywhere in the world, and they'll never know who you are. To an ad major, this means 'free focus group'. Bounce some ideas, have some interesting conversation, you'll be surprised how quickly it clears your mind. Disclaimer: there are a lot of pervs out there. Beware.

3)Campus Walk

Finally, my favorite stress-reliever. During a school day, if you're near campus, just go walk around campus and find a classroom to sit in on. At FSU, there are plenty of classrooms large enough that you will blend in. Sit through the class, don't worry about taking notes, and just absorb the information. It's a great way to clear your mind from what you've been working on, and is single-handedly responsible for getting me through last semester's finals.

Finally, just take a deep breath. It's just a class. Good luck on your projects everyone!

Let me begin by saying that Final Flesh is certainly not a film for everyone, or even most. Vernon Chatman, whom you may know as co-creator of production company PFFR, as well as co-creator of surrealist/absurdist comedy shows such as Xavier Renegade Angel and Wondershowzen, has created what some will consider a masterpiece, and others will consider pure filth, and will swear to never revisit the experience for a few eternities.

Basically, the premise is that Chatman had stumbled upon some porn companies who are willing to act out their client's fantasies and send them the video. He then wrote an absurdly cerebral, somewhat existential, satirical script and hired 4 of these companies to act them out, under the guise that his script actually caters to his particular fetish, though be aware that there is no actual sex in the film (though there are heavy sexual overtones). The video comes as recorded, with no presence or direction whatsoever by Chatman aside from what was written on the script, and perhaps some minor post editing. As the actors have no idea as to the purpose of the film, besides what they assume is to bring satisfaction to some guy with very oddly particular tastes, they attempt, with varying degrees of amateurish earnestness, to follow the script to a T. The result is one of the most uniquely hilarious 71 minutes you may experience in your life, which Salvador Dali would doubtlessly be proud of. Peculiar moments include lines such as "I wanted to use his blood to oil the machinery of capitalism", shaking meat in a jar until it turns into milk, and showering in tears of both children and corrupt politicians.

I cannot guarantee you will enjoy Final Flesh quite as much as I did (or at all), but I can guarantee that you will never quite see anything like it (nor will most anyone you come across. This film is as obscure as they come). Fans of Wondershowzen and Xavier should pick up on Chatman's unique sense of humor and social commentary throughout the film, which, from personal experience, can prove to be quite rewarding when watching this film, especially for the first time (as was the case for me last night). It certainly was a more cohesive experience than I had expected, having a semblance of a plot, as well as recurring elements and themes touching from religion to human nature. So if you've got a taste for surreal and thought provoking pseudo-comedies, you may want to take a trip to Amazon.com and invest in what will surely be an eccentric addition to any home movie library.

Most of you have probably not heard of Brahma, one of the most popular beers in Brazil. However, Brahma is owned by InBev, who also owns Budweiser. Anyways, my post isn't about who owns who in the beer world. It's about how Brahma has began marketing itself around the world. But it hasn't taken the traditional approach - Brahma is leveraging Brazilian culture to help market it around the world. On their website, they talk about different aspects of Brazilian culture from beaches, to soccer, to capoeira (a Brazilian martial art/dance). The coolest thing about their website isn't the videos that bring me back to my home country. It's their drum circle page. Users can turn on their webcam and literally play the drums on the screen. Not only is it entertaining and unique, but it also makes Brazilians think of Brahma when listening to typical music. It's awesome, check it out: http://www.brahma.com/

Thats me checking it off the bucket list. I can now say that I have won a Rock Band competition. After many years of practice in my living room, it is all paying off. This past Sunday, I competed in a Rock Band contest benefitting CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate Association). So, don't jude me, I was all for the kids. CASA does a lot of work with children from abusive homes. They make sure these children don't get lost in the system and allows them to have a voice when they feel like no one is listening. For more information about how to get involved with this cause and how to become a volunteer for CASA, visit www.casaforchildren.org.

Sorry to be blogging about tampons and feminine products, but I saw this commercials and I couldn't help but laugh when I realized what it was for. When i first saw this commercial, I really didn't expect it to be a tampon commercial because it was unlike all the others. Kotex is working on a whole new re-branding for the company to try and separate themselves from the other feminine product commercials. They are breaking away from the stereotypical feminine product advertisements and even poking fun at all of their competitor's ads. The fact that there is sarcasm and humor in a tampon commercial, is a first for me. Representatives from Kotex were even handing out samples of their whole new packaging in the union on campus yesterday. With their new slogan, "Later, dullsville...hello, different" and bold bright colors they definitely catch the eye of the consumers. So I would watch out if I were Tampax or Playtex, a whole new brand and company is coming through.

I wish I had this much energy. I know we all can't wait for these projects to be over with!! Well, especially media planning =( For all you that would like to join me on April 22nd, I think it would be appropriate to have the first annual Advertising RageFest. Hope everyone is making progress on their projects and a potential event invitation may hit your Facebook page. BYEEEEE

Every week at the last moment, in my break between classes, I plan to write a blog. Sometimes I do it in advance and sometimes I just forget, but every time I can rely on stumbleupon for inspiration. All this time I never thought of the irony -- stumbleupon is an advertising tool in itself! They advertise themselves as advertising space here.

That was the advertising part of my blog. This is the other purely fun part -- a bunch of cool pictures in case you couldn't find any on your own. Tom looks at pictures for inspiration though, maybe these will help you!

In these times with lack of time, with three group projects running around and finals torturing the back of everyone's mind, I hope you enjoy my super short blog. Good luck everyone! We need it.

Some people think of advertising as a joke, but I've found it to be quite the opposite. I often find myself wanting to make a funny tagline, print ad, or tv storyboard. It's too easy to play the comedian as an advertiser, but often it's uncalled for and doesn't fit the bill. There's artistry to a well done ad, the copy is like poetry and the images are like paintings; extravagantly simple. There is also some science to advertising. These scientific aspects include being efficient, conducting experiments, and employing theories in order to increase sales. It's a very serious affair determining whether to employ humor, art, or science on behalf of a campaign. Often times it is not one or the other, but rather a perfect blend. With the pressures of how much money is invested in your ideas and the potential room for monetary gains from the success of your ideas, there's really nothing funny about it at all. I don't get stressed out easily, but if I did I would never choose advertising for a career, especially not the creative side. It is for this reason (and to harbor creativity) that I feel ad agencies often practice work place etiquette, management, and structure so differently. What the agency produces stays limitless and free because the environment doesn't add to the stress, in fact it seems to brush it all under the rug. So when people see or hear stories about ad agencies with workers suffering a concussion from a spontaneous Sock'em boppers sparring match they might get the wrong impression. I guess what I'm saying is advertising is not a joke, but sometime our methods are (you have to relieve stress somehow).

Advertising, is no doubt one of the most competitive majors I believe. At the beginning of the semester I actually picked up another major which is English, (which doesn't even pale in comparison to how competitive advertising is). In English which isn't limited access so everyone doesn't know everyone, but we still help out one another. However in advertising, this is a limited access program and we are all very close knit. I probably know everybody on a first and last name basis, (which is very scary). And while we all have been put into these different groups to create the most creative ad campaign for Vanity, it makes it a little difficult to compete with you fellow comrade.

This semester, has been by far the most hands-on experience that I have ever had. And I sincerely believe that all that experience will transition us all into a state where we will use all of that knowledge we attained throughout the semester and channel it toward this project. Good luck to all. But beware of, Element 112, we are explosive.

The last couple of weeks have been very stressful on all of us, but there is a Florida State Student missing. I am sure everyone has heard and joined his group on Facebook. If you haven't please join the group, Vince Binder is missing, please pass this on. They arrested three men yesterday that are apart of Vince's disappearance.

Please be aware that this could happen to anyone and don't walk alone at night! Make sure to always have a friend or friends with you and that you are in a lighted area. Please be safe at the stadium at night!!

If you are interested in knowing more information about Vince, you can visit his website at helpfindvince.com

Absolut's creative collaboration has opened it's doors to their loft. The brand team for Absolut have rented a loft in Tribeca, NY. Starting April 7, and lasting for a month the Absolut loft will be opened to the public for showing of the arts, and musical performances. The loft will also be used for screening events, with the hopes of attracting all kinds of creatives. Musical performances, gallery showings, film screenings, among other performances, all while functioning primarily as a Family Bookstore! Intrigued? I was!

The Tribeca loft will welcome curious visitors until May 7th, from 11am to 9pm. If you're not going to be in NYC shortly after the semester's end, keep track of the Absolut loft. After Tribeca, the brand will be traveling to other major cities!

As the semester starts to wind down this is actually where my semester began. For both of my advertising courses i didn't have much to do (besides little assignments and 1 test) until the last month of school. For both media planning and creative strategy we were give out group projects with a month left of class. At first i was panicking thinking how am i going to do 2 group projects with a presentation all in 4 weeks. It honestly has been very doable. Everyone gives up any and all of there spare time to work on these projects. This major is extremely competitive and nobody wants the other groups knowing what they are doing, its pretty funny. I am really excite to see our presentation come alive and finish this semester off with a bang. i know everyone will do great, keep up the great work!!!

One week left till all of our incredible CS1 group presentations will blow everyone's minds. 12 days till finals' week. And in three weeks, we can all officially start our summer vacation. The end is in sight, but I know at this point, like many others of you, I'm feeling burnt out. So when Club Downunder/Union Productions sent me an invite to FSU's Spring Fling Carnival this Friday, my reaction was, "ugh, no...I have no time!" But I thought about it a little and I've decided it looks like a good time and a well-deserved break from the insanity we've been experiencing lately.

They're advertising a ferris wheel, swing ride, bungee station, and rock wall for some classic carnival fun. There will also be paint-a-pot (my favorite!), black light chalking, balloon art, face painting, a caricature artist, a psychic, and tons of arcade games going down inside Crenshaw Lanes.

The fact that there is also going to be lots of great food like funnel cakes, cotton candy, and corn dogs totally sold me. And guys, this event is FREE!

So take a break from your group meetings this Friday. Pick up your wristband at 5, and start the fun at 7. The event will last until midnight. Hope to see you out there!

Nike recently released a new commercial featuring Tiger Woods and the voice of his late father Earl Woods. It's really interesting and powerful. It is unlike most nike ads that induce a sense of physical strength and athletic power. And of course it relates to all of Tiger's current personal problems. Maybe they are doing this as a gateway ad to allow tiger to be in normal ads. What do you guys think of it?

While speaking with one of my group mates the other day about how excited everyone was for summer to FINALLY be here, I realized mine will be just as stressful as ever!! I will be interning at 2-1-1 Big Bend for 25 hours a week, trying to maintain my regular job 20 hours a week, and taking a class. JUST SAYING THAT MAKES ME DEPRESSED.

But silver lining, I have planned multiple trips this summer to break it up and make it wayyyy more enjoyable. I am going to Destin, Daytona Beach, Key West, and then California for two weeks!!! Lots of fun in the sun and beach time, I can't wait!!

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

So I don't know about you guys, but I'm always wondering what kind of questions I should ask during an interview. It's hard to think of questions to ask when I have done a lot of research on the company and answered the questions I may have had. At the same time, I don't want to be that person that says they have no questions at the end of the interview. I found this article on Yahoo that gives questions you should ask and some tips. I thought it was really helpful so I'm passing it along to you all :)!

I find that as the end of the semester draws nearer, small tasks (such as coming up with something to blog about) become more difficult. At the end of the day, all I want to do is lay down and go to sleep so things such as laundry and dishes tend to get neglected. Sometimes though, all I really need is a little distraction from all the deadlines and due dates to get myself recharged and motivated. So, my blog today has a dual purpose: to give me something to blog about and to hopefully provide you with a small distraction to take your mind off of everything. I found a fun list of interesting facts, some of which I'm sure you've heard, but mostly consisting of things I never knew. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did:

1. It is impossible to lick your elbow.

2. A crocodile can't stick its tongue out.

3. A shrimp's heart is in its head.

4. In a study of 200,000 ostriches over a period of 80 years, no one reported a single case where an ostrich buried its head in the sand.

5. It is physically impossible for pigs to look up into the sky.

6. A pregnant goldfish is called a twit.

7. More than 50% of the people in the world have never made or received a telephone call.

8. Horses can't vomit.

9. Sixth sick sheik's sixth sheep's sick is said to be the toughest tongue twister in the English language.

10. If you sneeze too hard, you can fracture a rib. If you try to suppress a sneeze, you can rupture a blood vessel in your head or neck and die. If you keep your eyes open by force, they can pop out.

11. Rats multiply so quickly that in 18 months, two rats could have over a million descendants.

12. Wearing headphones for just an hour will increase the bacteria in your ear by 700 times.

13. If the government has no knowledge of aliens, then why does Title 14, Section 1211 of the Code of Federal regulations, implemented on July 16, 1969, make it illegal for U.S. citizens to have any contact with extraterrestrials or their vehicles?

14. In every episode of Seinfeld there is a Superman somewhere.

15. A duck's quack doesn't echo, and no one knows why.

16. 23% of all photocopier faults worldwide are caused by people sitting on them and photocopying their butts.

17. Most lipstick contains fish scales.

18. Like fingerprints, everyone's tongue print is different.

19. Over 75% of people who read this will try to lick their elbow.

Just as a side note: I actually know someone who can lick her elbow. Nothing is impossible :)

As the semester comes to an end, everything is getting very bittersweet. This marks the halfway point of my college career which is awesome but very scary. I have watched a lot of you apply to big internships and travel far and wide to reach your goals and it makes me proud, but also scares me to realize that I'm definitely not ready. I really have no clue where I want to live, where I want to work, or what I even want to do in the field. I'm almost done with my advertising degree and I still don't feel fully prepared to tackle the world out there. I guess that just makes me happy for the fact that I decided to double major to give myself more time. The end of every semester always make me think about life. It's crazy how just three weeks ago when we were given this assignment (along with the other 92837 million), that we were literally FREAKING out. I know from the second everything was laid out in front of me, that I would be dreading the week of April 18th. Well that time has finally come and I'm actually calmer than I thought I would be. I can see light at the end of the tunnel and I'm actually excited. Maybe that's how life is...the times that I'm dreading and confused about now will one day just be clear. I'll know what I want and just go for it. It's funny how life works out. Sorry to get all deep and philosophical on everyone! I know everyone is super stressed, but I just hope everyone takes this next week with a drop of sugar. It's gonna be tough, but isn't this what we love? We love advertising. We are advertising. Everyone is gonna do such a great job on this project and every other one we have to turn in. "Today is the tomorrow we worried about yesterday." Remember this quote and just breathe because it's all gonna be okay. :)

You know, that one right up there. Pretty good, witty, well made, plus that guy has a voice on par with the movie trailer guy and James Earl Jones. It could very well be the product of a unholy union between the two. Ever since then, I've noticed that each men's body wash company now includes a very strong emphasis on smelling like the man you (and really that means your significant other) want to be. It's no surprise of course that when an advertisement campaign is successful a plethora of other companies jump on the same motifs, however, how awesome would it be if instead of advertising how much of a man you can smell like, one of these companies goes with the smell like a woman campaign?

Girls, we all know we smell awesome. And guys, it isn't unmanly if the fairer sex enjoys it. No? Just a thought.

i don't have much to say about this print ad...i just think it's really funny! these glasses, known as the AXE GLASS, were served to men in discos in uruguay. as men drank from the glass and the amount of beverage decreased, the girl on the glasses' clothing decreased as well...

A current trend in the design community is that of photo manipulation. I love being able to make something from something completely different. It's a cool reflection of how God created the world from something else (Gen 1:2)

Yay! So I have found out that I will officially be interning in NYC this summer (which is great considering I already bought my Lady Gaga ticket for MSG in July)! It is such a relief to know my plans. I hate that agencies wait till 3 weeks before school ends to let you know the verdict. It's so frustrating! Anyways, I cannot express how happy I am to be in my favorite city again this June. I love how everyone is on the go. I love the fast-paced feel. I love Central Park. I LOVE BROADWAY SHOWS. What I love most is the fact that I will be on Madison Avenue with the big ad pros. It's like a dream come true. I wish I knew where I was living, but I will reside wherever MAIP takes me. The most exciting part of it all? I'm turning 21 in July! If anyone will be in NYC this summer, let me know. It will be an amazing experience and there is so much to do in the city! :)

Monday, April 12, 2010

It was another morning when I was watching TV as I was getting ready for the day. But it wasn't the Today Show where I saw something that caught my eye. It was the Ellen DeGeneres Show. She was showing ads that audience members had written in and told her about. This ad for DSTV caught my eye. DSTV is a lot like Tivo or DVR where people can record shows they will miss, fast forward live television, or even buy movies. Here is the ad, hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

So, this past weekend 16 of us went to Atlantato conduct agency visits. We visited 4 different adcertising agencies and a portfolio school. They were all excellent. We got to see the difference between a small shop and a largeshop which I know was one of my favorite parts of the trip.

As a group we also went to the Coca-Cola Factory inAtlantawhich was neat. We learned all about the history of Coke and got to try about 200 different flavors from all over the world. That was really neat. I don't drink soda but everyone else seemed to enjoy all the flavors, even the ones from countires that you'd never expect youngsters to like flavors from.

Another neat thing we did was meet up with the UGA Ad Club. They rented out an area of this bar and grill where they provided us with dinner, ON THEM! How nice is that? We had calamarie, sushi, sandwhiches, and these amazing roasted potatoes. The place was called Twist and I would recccomend it to anyone who goes to Atlanta. Deffinetely check it out.

I used to think I would deffinetely end up back in Jersey working in NYC. But after going on Ad trips to 3 of the four major ad hubs in the US (Chicago, Atlanta and NYC) I am beginning to believe I would be happy working in any of these major cities. They all have so much to offer.

All in all Atlanta went smooth and I am so happy that we went on the trip. So, NYC, this fall...bring it on. I am ready to tackle you!

Flea's can jump 130 times higher than their own height. In human terms this is equal to a 6ft. person jumping 780 ft. into the air.

Our eyes are always the same size from birth, but our nose and ears never stop growing.

Studies show that if a cat falls off the seventh floor of a building it has about thirty percent less chance of surviving than a cat that falls off the twentieth floor. It supposedly takes about eight floors for the cat to realize what is occurring, relax and correct itself.

Last night while meeting with my group, we somehow ended up on the topic of our favorite ads (ad majors talking about their favorite ads, no way). I was asking everyone if they remembered the crazy and eccentric Skittles ads, and no one did! My favorite was this one with the man and his creepy beard. It is so weird but I remember that it used to crack me up EVERY single time I watched it, and that is hard to do in advertising, as we all know. I know some of you may not find this funny, but I wanted to share it so my group could see what I was talking about =).

Sunday, April 11, 2010

I'm sitting here wondering what to blog about, and I decided that I would take a break from advertising related stuff and just tell you guys a little about myself. None of you knew me when I joined the class, and most of you knew each other, so I think this fits well (even though Matt already did it). So here goes:

I was born in New York City on January 2nd 1991 - makes me a few months older than 19. I lived in Queens, New York until I was 14, moving only once in that time from an apartment to a townhouse when I was 2. Living in NYC was great, I mean, there are very few places that you can say you have a clear view of the Empire State Building from your street corner. I attended Catholic school for pretty much my entire time there. There used to be (still is) a park across from my old house, right near the Hell Gate section of the East River, and I have quite a few fond memories there particularly with my Grandmother who used to take me all the time. Everything was great when I was little; I didn't have a care in the world.

I lived through September 11, 2001. I was in Queens, my parents used to drop my sister and me off at school, and they did, just like any other morning. I remember a cloudless day, upper 60s to low 70s that morning. And so there we went; my sister and I into school for the day, everything was normal, up until people started whispering about the World Trade Center being blown up. I never understood the reaction of the teachers and staff that day; rather than confront the issue, they hushed it up. People were taken separately to see what they knew. It was evident that something was severely wrong though. I remember the view of the Trade Center from my 5th grade classroom. That day, the window shade on that one single window remained closed. Eventually, parents showed up to take people home early. I remember staying till the end of the day. We went to church to pray for the victims. I guess by 2pm the teachers and staff had finally given in to the gravity of the situation. After school, my Grandfather and I picked up my Mom (she decided to walk the bridge since traffic in and out of Manhattan was cut off). I would later learn that my Dad had seen the second plane hit as he crossed from the parking garage to his office on 1st Ave and 23rd, and he managed to drive home safely later in the evening. September 11 changed a lot. There is no comparison to the smell of death and burning building that seemed to drape the city the next morning. I have, to this day, never smelled anything like it.

A couple of years went by uneventfully (well, around us the war had started and the internet bubble had blown), come 8th grade, it came time to apply to High Schools (in NYC, the application process for the "good" high schools is similar to applying to college - you take an exam (the SHSAT) and the schools give you an offer), I did well in that sense; our class in general did too. No other class since has had as many scholarships and acceptances to major High Schools as our's did. I "graduated" from the 8th grade in mid-June. In late June I lost my aunt, and one of my closest family members to lung cancer. We left NYC later that summer.

We moved to the Philadelphia suburbs in August of 2005, and I have called that home since. High School was oddly uneventful by all standards, through senior year at least. Senior year was the whole college applications deal. I applied to 5 schools - Penn State, U Pitt, U South Carolina, Temple U, and FSU. All 5 accepted me, though I regret not shooting higher. I chose FSU for its traditions and its beautiful campus in addition to its highly ranked Business program. And so here I am, a first year at FSU, just starting off and hoping to make it big. Creative has taught me a lot this semester, and I have had the privilege of working with a good number of you on the various projects. I hope you all enjoyed working together as much as I did.

10:48AM "We have a lot of free or reasonably priced apps... we like that, but our devs have to find ways to make money. So our devs are putting ads into apps, and for lack of a better way to say it, we think most of this kind of advertising sucks." Ouch!

10:49AM "When you look at ads on a phone, it's not like a desktop. On a desktop, search is where it's at. But on mobile devices, that hasn't happened. Search is not happening on phones; people are using apps. And this is where the opportunity is to deliver advertising is."

10:49AM "The average user spends over 30 minutes every day using apps on their phone. If we said we wanted to put an ad up every 3 minutes, that's 10 ads per device per day. That would be 1b ad opportunities per day."

10:50AM "This is a pretty serious opportunity, and it's an incredible demographic. But we want to do more than that. We want to change the quality of the ads too."

It's going to be interesting to see how this turns out! But keep posted, because we sure haven't seen the last of this!

Y'all [kinda] know me...I walk in class [late] with my big stunna shades on and [try to] look very put together and sophisticated [most of the time]. And I get that inspiration from my diva mom, my love of parisian life & style, annnd Audrey. I LOVE Audrey Hepburn and her style. I have her poster up in my room. and I especially love her look in the classic movie Breakfast At Tiffany's. Why? Because it's iconic. DUH!

But recently realized I have NEVER seen any of her movies.

I know what you are thinking. You are saying to yourself,

"How the hell can she call herself an Audrey fan and she's never seen any of her CLASSIC movies?!?!"

Ok. I'm a poser. SUE ME lol

But really, I was ashamed of my lack of Audrey knowledge so I decided to do some research and actually watch Breakfast at Tiffany's. Annnd...I hated it.

Holly Golightly is a ditzy hot MESS of a person with these crazy quirks and disorganized life and erratic [borderline crazy] behavior. She is not the sophisticated, put together, classic, modest diva I thought she was!

AND the male lead, Paul "Fred" Varjak, not even a hottie! :(

And not to mention the BLATANT racism seen in the character Mr. Yunioshi. It's like black face coonery for Asians...

See the similarity?

ANYWAYS, needless to say, Breakfast at Tiffany's was a big disappointment to me. It left me wondering, why people love this movie so much? What is so classic about the plot? She lives this ridiculous life with her fat cat [i hate cats!] and she meets this guy, calls him by her brother's name [wtf], goes on these random adventures with him, takes him to a store and commits an act of shoplifting, hosts these parties, comes back home at all hours of the night...Just RIDICULOUS!

So now, i have to rectify my idolization of Audrey. I love the way she LOOKS. Her style. The way she is perceived. But her caliber of work is a whole different story...

I don't know what this has to do with creative strategy BUT it is pretty interesting, no? :)

***DISCLOSURE***

I apologize if this blog offended anyone in any way...if you happen to like Breakfast at Tiffanys, if you like random plots, if you like cats, or if the black face coonery or asian mockery photos offended you [as they did me!].

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

So i know Lauren wrote her blog advising all of us to check out "club stroz" last night. Well, which Allison Chait and i were there working on our creative project we actually got to see what this hype was all about and let me just say it was CRAZYYYY! Its funny how everyone calls it club stroz and how they literally tried to turn it into one. Everyone received neon pink wristbands like they give out and clubs when you enter. The first 100 people in line got free shirts (we would have gotten them if people didn't cut us in line) and they had an abundance on free neon sunglasses to promote stroz. Once you entered the "club" there was a dj, pizza and cupcakes for everyone. The idea was very cleaver and definitely cool but the only downfall in my opinion was ITS A LIBRARY! people go to the library to escape noise and to get work done. It was virtually impossible to actually get anything accomplished once they started all of this at 9 pm. People were dancing and singing so it was quite distracting. Allison and I had to leave because we couldn't block out the noise. I thought it was a great move by SGA but maybe it should have been done right outside the library.

This FRIDAY is ADPi's Lunch on the Lawn... and Alex and I would like to invite all of you to come!! Check out the Facebook page if you can see it I'm not really sure. I'm not friends with everyone in class on facebook or else I would send fbook invites but anyways...

It's this FRIDAY from 11:30-1 with free food and live music on our front lawn. Drop by anytime you can and grab some food! We'd love for y'all to come! And best of all... IT'S FREE!!

This is an article from AdAge.com about the future of social media. Basically, it lists 11 major shifts that we should see happening and anticipate for the future. Not even the distant future, 2012, when I graduate from FSU as an undergrad, these should be in full force. So what does this mean for all of us as advertisers? It means great things. The CRM process is being transferred to a much segmented reality. What does this mean for all of us as consumers? As it says in the first point, our expectations of privacy are going to change. Already, as an avid Facebook user, my privacy is very limited, but Freddie Laker expects us to have to be comfortable with even more limited privacy on the internet.

On Monday I went to The Big Pink's concert at Club Down Under. They were amazing, British, and of course hip as well as everything I expected, but this blog post isn't about them. A Place to Bury Strangers, the opening band, is what inspired this blog post. They blew me away (really, their show literally felt like I was surrounded by a never ending explosion of light and sound). The instant I walked in I was attacked by noise with indistinct melodies even if I focused hard enough. I was surrounded by strobe lights so fast it made everything look as if it was shaking. I liked it, but it was too loud and jarring. Then a friend of mine tapped me on the shoulder releasing me from my trance to hand me a pair of earplugs. I remembered reading a live show review about the band. The critic noted that it was extremely loud and he preferred ear plugs when listening to them, but I figured he was just another old, grumpy music critic who thought the kids today were all hopped up on drugs and MTV. After putting in the ear plugs I realized my assumptions were wrong. The music took on a completely new shape and noise turned into carefully timed notes of reverb and snare hits. It was an amazing change from noisy clutter to sonic glory. This is a band you must see; no it won't change your life, but it will without a doubt enhance it.

Sorry guys, this week's post is yet another excuse to advertise an online game. Hopefully there are some RPG fans... actually you could hate them and enjoy this as well... hell, if you have ever experienced a role-playing game at all, I recommend checking out Synopsis Quest. Basically, what the game does is take all of the core elements in an RPG, from choosing a class, to grinding for money, to defeating a final boss, and condenses them. Basically taking a 50+ hour experience and changing it into a rather quick 10 minute affair (based more or less on your ability to solve puzzles).

The game is genuinely hilarious in all the right places, and RPG fans, such as myself, will laugh out loud (perhaps at how obvious they are when you figure them out) at the solutions to some puzzles. I don't want to spoil any of them, but I'm sure that you will notice them as you play the game. The music perfectly captures the old Nintendo feel, with a rather catchy 8-bit victory theme (though, not quite as catchy as last week's Robot Unicorn Attack music). Look out for the "Act Like a Hero" level, it's one of my favorites.http://www.skipmore.com/freegames/synopsis/synopsis.html

There are always benefits to going home for the weekend, like home cooked meals, free laundry, and for me at least lots of shopping where I am finally not the one paying for it. What topped all these benefits was the fact that I got to play with Apple's new iPad. Yes, we got one, my dad was one of those people you see waiting in ridiculous lines outside the Apple store at 9:00am and wonder why the hell are they doing that. Well, after an hour or so we took the iPad home and I have to say that it is pretty impressive. I at first wasn't on the iPad bandwagon like my dad was, who likes to always buy the most up to date technology just so he can compete with his buddies at work. I originally thought that it was really cool in theory, but would it be functional? Wouldn't a actual lap top be easier to work with and not just a big touch screen computer? WRONG. The iPad is extremely user friendly, even my grandfather who is the most anti-technology, stuck in his old ways kind of guy managed to be able to use it and even say he liked it. It is literally like a huge iphone because it functions like one, but with many many other abilities. The screen is beautiful where colors are just as vibrant as if you were on your laptop and it is very touch sensitive. The iPad even has the same battery life as most laptops. After passing it around to every single one of my family members who came over for Easter, and all of them playing with it for a good long time, the battery passed the test and lasted the entire time. So if someone were to ask me again if I'm on the iPad bandwagon, I would gladly say yes. I loved it so much that I even tried to somehow sneak it into my suitcase to take back to Tally with me, that one didn't work out too well. So if anyone has an extra $499 plus tax lying around I would highly suggest that you go out and buy one, and then let me play with it all the time.

I know a lot of you have studied abroad and or would like to study abroad. My favorite memories from studying abroad are food and my r.a., Angie. Angie DeAngelis graduated from UF (boo) but studied abroad with the FSU Florence Program. She liked it so much she was the R.A. in Florence from the summer of 2006- summer of 2009. Since her departure, she moved to NYC and found a job as an assistant editor at a magazine. She loves food as much as anyone and decided to write a blog about her daily adventures with eating. She is one of the funniest people I know, so if you like food, good eats and writing, I would check her blog out.

Ever see an ad or hear a concept and think "Hey, that was MY idea!"? It's frustrating, but it happens all the time. Even though people are uniquely creative and their minds have been carved from diverse experiences, it's bound to happen. After all, people go through the same brainstorming sessions, and everyone tries to fight the clutter and define unique brand benefits. This is happening in our Vanity project: what sets Vanity apart from other stores? After all, it's just clothes. For State Farm: What makes State Farm different from other auto insurers? Everyone has to have insurance anyways, it's all the same thing! Good advertisers try to be provocative and resonate with the customers. The best way to relate to customers is to identify the REAL reason why they chose a brand, the REAL needs they have, which aren't always obvious. I remember during one of the Whipple presentations, we had to create an ad for nail polish. What's the big difference between nail polish brands? They're all the same. So how to you attract people to your brand or even get their attention for a few seconds before they flip past your ad? Think of another benefit. My group thought of the "Better Nails, better Tales", which I thought was kind of funny. So when I saw this ad for erectile disfunction, I yelled "THAT WAS OUR IDEA!!". They stole it from us. They definitely had a spy in our creative strategy class, and stole our idea. Not really - but seeing such a similar concept actually be thought up by someone else and implemented makes me feel proud of our humble idea.

[If you can't read the copy, it says "Medicine for erectile disfunction with a special discount"]

I know everyone is just as stressed as I am, why can't there be more hours in the day?? I feel like this month will never end. So to relieve my stress, I like to surf the internet while I'm at work for funny pictures to make me forget for a moment how much I SHOULD be doing at the time. I think this is so funny/adorable, it made my day, just thought I'd share with you guys, maybe it will make your day too. :)

Halloooo my creative strategy class!!! I am excited to announce that tonight the Ad Club is leaving for our annual spring trip. This year we are going to Atlanta. While there we are visiting The Creative Circus, 22squared, Fletcher Martin, Fitzgerald + Co., and BBDO Atlanta. I know I am very excited for this trip. As my second term on Ad Club Exec, this is the third trip I have planned for the club and I am beginning to feel like an expert :p Once to New York City, once to Chicago and now to Atlanta. There are 16 kids coming to Atlanta which is a great turn out for the spring trip. Usually we bring bout 55/60 Ad Clubbers to NYC and about less than 1/3 of that amount tend to travel with us on the spring trip. Fall is always a more busy month for Ad Club. More members attend meetings, more meetings in general, the big trip-but spring is always a great time to join because it is much less intimating because there are much less people in room. I will make my next blog a report on how Atlanta went. But... I got a feeling Ohhhhhh that this trips gonna be a good trip. That this trips gonna be a good good trip!!

Ps- Incase you didn't remember, these trips are run by Ad Club....JOIN!! :) We provide awesome opportunities to get involved, networking chances and other insights into the industry. It's totally worth joining, I promise.

Dreams are the coolest little things ever. They're like trips through the deepest levels of your subconscious mind that you would never have access to unless you do one of the greatest things in the world: sleep. I usually have totally random dreams, like I'm going fishing and I just happen to hook a t-rex, or people that I haven't talked to since 3rd grade make an appearance. My best friend has some really wild ones (two nights ago, she was sitting in McDonalds with Leonardo DiCaprio and people were making fun of him, so to escape, she turned into a giraffe, Leo turned into a bird, and he perched on her head as they fled the country...what?) I haven't really had a nightmare per say for as long as I can remember, but I do have two somewhat disconcerting recurring dreams: One is that I start loosing my teeth. I'll accidentally push on one the wrong way and it just sort of pops out. Then another, then another. It freaks me out and they feel so real that as soon as I wake up I do a run through with my tongue to make sure they're all in tact.

The other dream I have is that I'm on a broken elevator. Most of the time it's with other people. It could be going up or down, but I can always hear the chains crunching or the elevator opens its doors not exactly level to the floor. We always make it, but it's really stressful. And a lot of times, it's on the University Center elevators, except there's like 30 stories instead of whatever number the building actually has.I've looked around online to see what these types of dreams mean. Loosing teeth typically means you've got lots of secrets, and depending on the direction the elevator is going, it either means you're set up for some great success or some great failure in the near future.What recurring dreams do you guys have? Andwhat do they mean?

Creativity

“It’s like washing a pig. It’s messy, it has no rules, no clear beginning, middle or end: it’s kind of a pain in the ass, and when you’re done, you’re not sure if the pig is clean or even why you were washing a pig.” - Luke Sullivan